The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to imaging systems, and more particularly to a noise control system, such as for a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) system.
MRI is a medical imaging modality that generates images of the inside of a human body without using x-rays or other ionizing radiation. The MRI system utilizes radio frequency (RF) coils to amplify radio frequency signals emitted by atoms in a human or animal body after being excited by an RF pulse while being subjected to a constant magnetic field.
In operation, the MRI imaging system is sensitive to RF noise that overlaps with the operating frequency of the MRI system. Accordingly, the MRI receive circuitry should be free from spurious noise that coincides with the operating frequency of the MRI system. To reduce the spurious noise, peripheral devices utilized within the MRI system, or located near the MRI system, are typically evaluated to determine if the peripheral devices generate harmonic signals that may interfere with the MRI system operating and thus may cause spurious noise.
For example, one known potential source of spurious noise is a power supply that provides power to the MRI system and/or the peripheral devices. At least one known power supply utilized with the MRI system is a linear power supply. In operation, the linear power supply generates power having a frequency that is preselected to not generate spurious noise. However, conventional linear power supplies operate within a predetermined frequency band or range. Accordingly, in operation, the linear power supply may still generate signals having harmonics that result in spurious noise. Moreover, conventional linear power supplies and associated regulators are relatively large, heavy, inefficient and expensive.